Saint Francis

About Me

Grizzly young sacristan who loves liturgy and liturgical tradition. I have a bachelor's degree in Catholic theology from the University of Dallas (a Catholic college with a solid theology department). I've worked as a Sacristan in four different parishes in the U.S. and at a shrine in Italy. I'm hoping to make this blog a resource for priests and laity who want to introduce Latin into their parishes, as well as being a resource for doing liturgy correctly, especially in the Mass according to the 2002 Roman Missal, as Pope Benedict XVI called for in his accompanying letter to bishops on "Summorum Pontificum."

Grizzly

Amateur Catholic Blogger

Friday, May 16, 2008

Solemnity of The Most Holy Trinity - Comparison of Prayers

aka Trinity Sunday

"The Holy Trinity" by Hendrik van Balen I

I do hope that priests will really delve into the Mystery of the Trinity in their homilies this Sunday. So often on Trinity Sunday, the priest's attitude is one of "The Trinity is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Yay for the Trinity!" and then breeze right past the whole Mystery in the same way we often just breeze through the Sign of the Cross. (And if they're really good, they somehow manage to bring up Saint Patrick and the three leaf clover story, but that's it.) I recommendFrank Sheed's book "Theology and Sanity" ( which I have been told from numerous sources has one of the best presentations of the theology of the Trinity.

I must comment that this week's preface is one of the most beautiful of the year. It is packed with Trinitarian Theology. It should come as no surprise that this preface comes directly out of the Tridentine Rite and was not one newly written (or modified) for the Novus Ordo.

The I.C.E.L. translation of this preface is absolutely horrid. The preface already gives an extremely concise summary of Trinitarian Theology, but somehow the translators managed to make it even shorter to the point of really diluting it.

Official 1973 I.C.E.L. Translation (Used at Mass in English)Let us pray. Father, you sent your Word to bring us truth and your Spirit to make us holy. Through them we come to know the mystery of your life. Help us to worship you, one God in three Persons, by proclaiming and living our faith in you.Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

My Own Literal TranslationLet us pray. O God our Father, You Who, in sending the Word of Truth and the Spirit of sanctification into the world, declared Your wondrous Mystery to men, give us, in the confession of true faith, to recognize the glory of the Eternal Trinity, and to adore Its Unity in the might of Its majesty.Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Official 1973 I.C.E.L. Translation (Used at Mass in English)Lord our God, make these gifts holy, and through them make us a perfect offering to you.We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.

My Own Literal Translation O Lord our God, we beseech You, through the invocation of Your Name, sanctify these offerings of our servitude, and through them may we ourselves be perfected as an eternal gift to You.Through Christ our Lord.

Official 1973 I.C.E.L. Translation (Used at Mass in English)Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks.We joyfully proclaim our faith in the mystery of your Godhead. You have revealed your glory as the glory also of your Son and of the Holy Spirit: three Persons equal in majesty, undivided in splendor, yet one Lord, one God, ever to be adored in your everlasting glory.And so, with all the choirs of angels in heaven we proclaim your glory and join in their unending hymn of praise:Holy, holy, holy ...

My Own Literal Translation It is truly right and just, proper and availing unto salvation, that we always and everywhere give thanks to You, O Lord, Holy Father, Almighty and Eternal God:You Who with Your Only-begotten Son and the Holy Spirit are one God, You are one Lord, not in the unity of a singular person, but in the Trinity of one substance.For what we believe about Your glory, by revealing Yourself, this we believe of Your Son, and of the Holy Spirit, without difference.So that, in confession of the True and Eternal Deity, It is not only adored distinct in Persons, but also One in being, and equal in Majesty.Whom the Angels and Archangels, Cherubim and Seraphim praise, never ceasing to proclaim daily, saying with one voice:Holy, Holy, Holy ...

Official 1973 I.C.E.L. Translation (Used at Mass in English)Let us pray. Lord God, we worship you, a Trinity of Persons, one eternal God. May our faith and the sacrament we receive bring us health of mind and body.We ask this through Christ our Lord.

My Own Literal Translation Let us pray. O Lord our God, may the carrying out of this Sacrament, and the confession of the Eternal Holy Trinity and Its indivisible Unity, perfect us unto the salvation of body and soul.Through Christ our Lord.

N.B. The preface was difficult to translate because it does involve Trinitarian Theology, and because the subject jumps around between God the Father and God as Trinity. The "It" in the phrase "So that, in confession of the True and Eternal Deity, It is not only adored distinct in Persons, but also One in being, and equal in Majesty" refers back to the "True and Eternal Deity." I tried to use He (since it refers to God) but it was a bit ambiguous and sounded like it was refering to just God the Father or just God the Son. I hate turning God into an It, but that's the best I can do with English. That is the trouble with translations, they will always be inferior to the original language (which is why I so encourage using Latin at Mass in the Roman Rite). However, if we do use translations, we can (and should) try to get as close as possible.